Episode Summary
In this episode, Poon Ji-ngo is promoted at SNK and breaks up with Man Wai-sam to lead a smear campaign against her. Man Wai-sam fights back with a live confession about her parents' role in a past tragedy. We learn this was all part of Koo Chiu-wah's plan to oust both Man and Yuen Suet-kuen from SNK. Yuen Suet-kuen then reveals she is launching a Hong Kong branch for a global news giant, Novi, and recruits Cheung Ka-yin and Hui Sze-ching. The episode ends with a new mystery, as a key witness in Man Wai-sam's investigation vanishes.
Spoiler Alert
The Breakup and the Broadcast
So, Hui Sze-ching is absolutely furious with Koo Chiu-wah. He completely undercut her, and she is not having it. She marches right into the SNK News building to confront him. She basically tells him he made a big mistake and he'll have to deal with the consequences.
Then things get messy for Man Wai-sam. Out of nowhere, Poon Ji-ngo gets a promotion to Deputy Director. Koo Chiu-wah is more than happy to make it official. Poon's very first assignment is to head up the news coverage about Man Wai-sam. This is a huge conflict of interest.
Poon goes to see Man Wai-sam. He tells her he's been promoted. Then he breaks up with her. He says they can't have any kind of relationship anymore. He needs to do his job objectively. Man Wai-sam is surprisingly calm about it. She seems proud that he's trying to be professional. But she also knows Koo Chiu-wah is behind all of this. She feels powerless to stop what's coming.
Facing the Past, Live on Air
SNK News airs the segment that Poon edited. It's rough. Man Wai-sam watches it and just completely breaks down crying. All the old memories come flooding back.
Yuen Suet-kuen and Chan Tsz-kit rush over to her apartment. They find her distraught. They tell her she needs to pull it together and fight back against the smear campaign.
This gives Man Wai-sam an idea. She decides to go live on a public streaming platform. She's going to tell her side of the story. She talks about the New Year's stampede tragedy from 1993. Yuen Suet-kuen was there covering it as a young reporter. Man Wai-sam explains that the stampede was caused by a slippery, sloped road and massive crowds. Then she drops the bombshell. She openly admits that her parents were the ones who started spraying some kind of aerosol into the crowd, contributing to the chaos.
After the live stream ends, Yuen Suet-kuen gives Man Wai-sam a huge, emotional hug. She's just glad they can finally re-examine what happened all those years ago.
The Fallout and a New Player
Koo Chiu-wah's Real Plan
Man Wai-sam isn't just going to let SNK get away with it. She has her lawyer send a letter. It demands that SNK take down the video and issue a public apology. This makes Poon Ji-ngo really nervous.
Koo Chiu-wah, however, is delighted. He tells Poon this was exactly what he wanted. His goal was to burn every bridge. He wanted to make sure that neither Man Wai-sam nor Yuen Suet-kuen could ever work at SNK again. Mrs. Fong later apologizes to Man Wai-sam for Koo Chiu-wah's actions. She says he always does things without her approval. Man Wai-sam notices that Mrs. Fong seems to have no real control over him at all.
A Global News Giant Arrives
Yuen Suet-kuen makes a huge move. She arranges a secret meeting with Cheung Ka-yin and Hui Sze-ching in an empty office building. She reveals that she's been hired by Novi. It's the biggest news company in the world. They're opening a Hong Kong branch, and she's heading it up.
She has big plans for them. She wants Cheung Ka-yin to manage the company's day-to-day operations. She wants Hui Sze-ching to be the liaison with all the government departments. The salaries she offers are massive. They are high enough to change the pay scale for the entire news industry in Hong Kong.
Hui Sze-ching says yes immediately. Cheung Ka-yin also agrees, but she has one condition. She wants the freedom to leave the office and do field reporting. She doesn't want to be stuck behind a desk.
New Alliances, New Threats
Yuen Suet-kuen holds a press conference to announce the launch of Novi's Hong Kong branch. Man Wai-sam shows up and asks a very direct question. She asks if Yuen Suet-kuen getting the job at Novi has anything to do with her winning the "Torch Award." Yuen Suet-kuen gives a non-answer. She just tells Man Wai-sam that if she's curious, she should investigate it herself.
Later, Koo Chiu-wah takes Poon Ji-ngo shopping for a luxury watch. Poon is hesitant to accept such an expensive gift. Koo Chiu-wah insists. He says he wants Poon to be in his debt. He thinks it will motivate him to fight harder, especially with Novi entering the market.
Koo Chiu-wah also sends a message to the staff. He invites several colleagues to play golf but pointedly leaves Keung Lik-hang off the list. Cheung Ka-yin has been trying to recruit Keung Lik-hang for Novi. This is Koo Chiu-wah's way of warning him not to jump ship.
The Missing Witness
Man Wai-sam is still trying to figure out how Yuen Suet-kuen won that award. Wong Wai reports back to her. He says he asked around, but no one seems to know why she was chosen in the final round of judging. Man Wai-sam suspects that someone very powerful is blocking the investigation. Yu Yingfei suggests they should try to interview people who have already resigned from SNK.
Wong Wai gets a promising lead. He finds the name of Yuen Suet-kuen's former assistant, a woman named Tung Chi-ching. But just as he makes contact with her, she suddenly disappears.
